There’s a good chance the month of May will come and go without Andy Pettitte pitching a single inning for the Yankees.

That dreary news comes courtesy of Joe Torre, who is merely being realistic when assessing the time frame for the valuable left-hander coming back from the troubling and somewhat confounding left elbow problem that has put Pettitte on the disabled list.

Pettitte on Monday was examined by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. The arm specialist stated Pettitte did not have any structural damage in his elbow, but that he was dealing with tendinitis.

Andrews suggested Pettitte not pitch at all for 10 days and then re-evaluate how his elbow feels. Given that plan, it’s likely Pettitte will miss as much as six weeks since he last took the mound when he left after three innings April 15 in Boston.

“I don’t want to say it’s totally starting over, but it’s certainly going to be a slow process when he starts playing catch, then be allowed to throw halfway up the mound,” Torre said last night prior to the Yankees’ game with the A’s.

“Probably the end of May. I’d say from now maybe in a month he’ll be able to be available. It will be longer more so than it could be shorter.”

Torre added, “I don’t think there’s a question” Pettitte will have to make at least one rehabilitation start in the minor leagues once he is able to throw pain-free.

The good news for the Yankees was that there is nothing wrong with Pettitte’s ligament, and that his replacement in the rotation, Ted Lilly, has allowed four hits and two earned runs in his last 142/3 innings. The bad news was there are no guarantees Pettitte’s discomfort will disappear after he takes a rest.

Although he said he was relieved after speaking with Andrews, Pettitte concedes he has no idea why two-seam fastballs and changeups cause a pain in his elbow. This problem started in spring training, and Torre theorized that Pettitte might have strained the elbow attempting to catch up.

“It’s never good for pitchers when they have an abbreviated spring training,” Torre said.

Pettitte said he can play catch and will do strengthening exercises for his elbow in the next 10 days. He hopes to try to work out in the bullpen as soon as May 10.

“They want me to throw in the bullpen without me walking off the mound saying, ‘It hurts,’ ” Pettitte said. “There are a lot of questions, and I don’t know answers.”

Easing the loss of Pettitte is the way Lilly has responded to his stay in the rotation. Sterling Hitchcock, who has not pitched for the Yankees all season because of back and groin injuries sustained in spring training, last night made what will likely be his final rehab start for Triple-A Columbus.

The Yankees shelled out $6 million for Hitchcock with the anticipation that he’d be one of their five starters, but that was before the signing of David Wells. If Hitchcock is ready to return, he will be used out of the bullpen. That’s how impressive Lilly has been.